Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Team will, for the first time, face their Ecuador counterparts when both nations meet in an international friendly in Guayaquil, Ecuador on July 26.

The friendly, confirmed on Tuesday, is part of the Soca Warriors preparations for crucial upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) also confirmed that the local governing body “is in negotiations with another Spanish-speaking country for the staging of an additional international warm-up to be played in Trinidad in August.”

Trinidad and Tobago, currently bottom of the CONCACAF Final Round of World Cup 2018 Russia qualifying, have four remaining games in the Hex: Honduras (at home on Sep. 1), Panama (away on Sep. 5), Mexico (away on Oct. 6) and USA (at home Oct. 10).

CONCACAF Final Round (Hexagonal) FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers

#

Team

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

Pts.

1

Mexico

6

4

2

0

9

2

7

14

2

Costa Rica

6

3

2

1

9

4

5

11

3

United States

6

2

2

2

11

8

3

8

4

Panama

6

1

4

1

4

4

0

7

5

Honduras

6

1

2

3

6

14

-8

5

6

Trinidad & Tobago

6

1

0

5

3

10

-7

3

The top three of the Hex qualifies for next year’s FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia, while the fourth-placed nation advances to a playoff against Asia’s fifth-place finishers.

While Trinidad and Tobago, currently ranked 78th on the FIFA World Rankings, and Ecuador, 31st, have never met at the senior international level, the Soca Warriors held Los Amarillos to a 1-1 draw at the Under-23 level when both nations met at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Current T&T members Kevin Molino, Sheldon Bateau, Joevin Jones and Mekeil Williams appeared in that encounter.

“The [upcoming] game versus Ecuador is another step in our preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualifying match against Honduras,” Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dennis Lawrence told TTFA Media.

“The game is against a good South American opposition and I expect it to be good for us. It will give us an opportunity to assess those players who are selected and provides us valuable game time in a period when some of our other Concacaf opponents are also involved in international matches.”Ecuador, who appeared at three FIFA World Cups, are sixth on the South American World Cup Qualifying table, two points behind Argentina, a nation they defeated 2-0 in qualifying action in Buenos Aires last October.

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